many other toys are stashed in this building that supers can't use, but want to know about. Probably a ton of them. I step into the suit, almost falling over as I try and do it backwards. I feel a bit claustrophobic as it closes around me, leaving only my mouth and the bottom of my nose uncovered by the mask. "How do I move?" I ask. I can't even see, actually, there's no holes in front of my eyes.
"The suit should be compensating for your size," Zoe says.
"I see your one-on-one training has been paying off," Taurus compliments her.
"It has," she says.
Suddenly there's light. I find myself looking at a screen that shows everything in front of me and a grid that looks like it's monitoring my vitals. "Welcome to the Nico1000," Nico's voice says over the speakers. "Either you're a norm that somehow got into my school, or you're a cape that got into something you shouldn't have. According to your stats you should be..."
The voice goes silent for a moment as the screen in front of me flashes. "Of the Loaded Deck line, with... powers on lockdown. What's your name?"
"Ace King," I say, feeling extremely vulnerable right now.
"Well, then, user Ace King--"
"How did you know?" I ask.
"Know what?"
"That my powers were gone."
"A fully functioning cape comes with an electrical signal that tells me everything I need to know. Now resetting for school use," the suit says. I hear a whirring noise, and see Taurus and Zoe back up abruptly. A second later I blink as my head is fully uncovered. I look down, staring blankly at the strange suit that I'm wearing. Most of the suit is back where it started at, which means not on me, the rest--well it looks like I'm wearing a new pair of forearm cuffs, boots, and a belt. There are strands of wires that somehow have gone under my clothes, attaching each piece.
"Did you know it could do that?" Taurus asks Zoe. She shakes her head and looks at it curiously.
"I have no clue why it even has that option," she admits.
"It didn't," I hear Nico say from the rest of the machine. "But it triggered me, so I figured I'd redo the schematics. Nice idea, letting him use the suit, Taurus. I'll pretend it wasn't just to torture the new kid."
"I wanted to see what it looked like on, too," Taurus says. "How is the search coming?"
"We're working on it. Nico out," the suit says before powering down.
I wonder what that means. Probably that they haven't found him. What happens if they find him, anyway? Do they know how to get my powers back? Or will I be stuck like this even after they capture him?
"Next," Taurus says, heading for the wall of items. "We find out what these things do! Everybod y grab one and head to the fighting field, we'll have target practice!"
That sends a wave of students rushing past me to loot the wall. It's blatantly obvious by this point that I'm just an excuse, but... well, I prefer being a test subject to being a third wheel. "Here," Justin says, handing me a massive gun. "You can try this one."
I look at it. It looks a lot like those old tommy guns from ancient mobster movies. "Awesome," I breathe out. Yes, both you and I remember that comment about being the kid most expected to bring a gun to school. But I didn't bring this one--it was handed to me.
CHAPTER SIX
"I'm supposed to be in school," Jenna says, scowling at her sister. "Not trying to peek in on this stupid school!" She looks at the yellow tape in front of her, wondering why she suddenly feels her hair threatening to float the closer she gets to it. "I don't even see anything," she complains.
"They're in there," Jetta says. Ever since the debut fight with that Cold Steel guy, she's been acting like this. Obsessed.
"Mom 's going to yell at you, you know," Jenna says, still looking at the tape. There's nothing else to look at. "You're supposed to be in school. So am I."
"They can deal with it. That little creep just totally
"The suit should be compensating for your size," Zoe says.
"I see your one-on-one training has been paying off," Taurus compliments her.
"It has," she says.
Suddenly there's light. I find myself looking at a screen that shows everything in front of me and a grid that looks like it's monitoring my vitals. "Welcome to the Nico1000," Nico's voice says over the speakers. "Either you're a norm that somehow got into my school, or you're a cape that got into something you shouldn't have. According to your stats you should be..."
The voice goes silent for a moment as the screen in front of me flashes. "Of the Loaded Deck line, with... powers on lockdown. What's your name?"
"Ace King," I say, feeling extremely vulnerable right now.
"Well, then, user Ace King--"
"How did you know?" I ask.
"Know what?"
"That my powers were gone."
"A fully functioning cape comes with an electrical signal that tells me everything I need to know. Now resetting for school use," the suit says. I hear a whirring noise, and see Taurus and Zoe back up abruptly. A second later I blink as my head is fully uncovered. I look down, staring blankly at the strange suit that I'm wearing. Most of the suit is back where it started at, which means not on me, the rest--well it looks like I'm wearing a new pair of forearm cuffs, boots, and a belt. There are strands of wires that somehow have gone under my clothes, attaching each piece.
"Did you know it could do that?" Taurus asks Zoe. She shakes her head and looks at it curiously.
"I have no clue why it even has that option," she admits.
"It didn't," I hear Nico say from the rest of the machine. "But it triggered me, so I figured I'd redo the schematics. Nice idea, letting him use the suit, Taurus. I'll pretend it wasn't just to torture the new kid."
"I wanted to see what it looked like on, too," Taurus says. "How is the search coming?"
"We're working on it. Nico out," the suit says before powering down.
I wonder what that means. Probably that they haven't found him. What happens if they find him, anyway? Do they know how to get my powers back? Or will I be stuck like this even after they capture him?
"Next," Taurus says, heading for the wall of items. "We find out what these things do! Everybod y grab one and head to the fighting field, we'll have target practice!"
That sends a wave of students rushing past me to loot the wall. It's blatantly obvious by this point that I'm just an excuse, but... well, I prefer being a test subject to being a third wheel. "Here," Justin says, handing me a massive gun. "You can try this one."
I look at it. It looks a lot like those old tommy guns from ancient mobster movies. "Awesome," I breathe out. Yes, both you and I remember that comment about being the kid most expected to bring a gun to school. But I didn't bring this one--it was handed to me.
CHAPTER SIX
"I'm supposed to be in school," Jenna says, scowling at her sister. "Not trying to peek in on this stupid school!" She looks at the yellow tape in front of her, wondering why she suddenly feels her hair threatening to float the closer she gets to it. "I don't even see anything," she complains.
"They're in there," Jetta says. Ever since the debut fight with that Cold Steel guy, she's been acting like this. Obsessed.
"Mom 's going to yell at you, you know," Jenna says, still looking at the tape. There's nothing else to look at. "You're supposed to be in school. So am I."
"They can deal with it. That little creep just totally
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